The Feminist Queen for Gen Z
“I want it, I got it” has been one mantra that has been a motivational force to me in numerous situations: from the times when I’ve broken down because of ugly university deadlines to the times when I’ve been skeptical about the future. There have been amazingly inspiring feminist icons in the entertainment industry, from Meryl Streep to Beyonce to our beloved, Emma Watson, but one of the several feminist queens, who is one of the important faces of feminism for teens today, is Ariana Grande.
Ariana’s celebration of power and female sexuality is something that we all look up to. Even with her personal turmoil, she didn’t let her voice vanish. With the heavy criticism that she has received on the professional front, she didn’t let her feminist evolution be affected.
This evolution was the most apparent in how her songs got progressively and, in a not-so-subtle way, feminist. Her 2018 album, Sweetener was recognized as the year’s best pop album, surpassing Spotify’s global records. The video for the album’s lead track, “God Is a Woman,” is unapologetic in its feminist reinterpretation of Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” with Grande portrayed as God and Madonna’s distant voice reciting a verse. In the music video of “thank u, next”, she re-enacted female leads of debatably feminist classic movies like 13 Going on 30, Legally Blonde, Bring It On, and Mean Girls. Her 2020 album, Positions, accelerated her journey of women’s empowerment. The music video for “Positions” portrayed Grande as the president in the White House, a reference to the then USA elections. While the song is a gentle affirmation of women’s strength, Grande was well aware of the significance of voting, as seen by the White House-themed music video and the awards she presented to postal employees. This dynamic reminder that women are multifaceted and they can be at home and ace their position in the workforce with full force simultaneously, AND can also choose either of the two if they want to. She portrays that we can be feminine and powerful at the same time.
Gen Z is all about being vocal about their rights and their support to different communities. Ariana, being in her mid-20s has always been fearless in stating her stances and opinions. It’s high time that all women are able to explore their sexuality and be able to express it and nobody does it better than Ariana through her songs. We have loved Meryl Streep, Beyoncé, and Emma Watson for their strength and the strength in their voices and that’s the reason we love Ariana too. Teens find her music a safe space and she has always identified with her audience. Her music is empowering and motivating in many ways. She never gave up on her aspirations and career dreams, even with millions of haters pulling her down and making her feel guilty about a lot of things. She has maintained her top position in the music charts and has always strived to produce good and inspiring music. Like our Galaxshe women, she has always been bindass and has shared her opinions #dilse.
Despite being underestimated often, the young pop icon has continued to be an inspiration for teen women and a voice for the issues that, is high time, we should be able to talk about. A bold, fearless, opinionated young woman who isn’t afraid of confrontations, explorations, and expression, Ariana Grande is, as we call her, “A Legit Kween”.
